Waking Horror

I wrote this short horror story 15 years ago, but I still love it! Enjoy!

I woke up on a conveyor belt with a splitting headache and a perpetual ringing in my ears. There was a line of people wearing gloves and aprons, working diligently, and speaking a language I could not understand. The air was humid, and the sun had risen high in the sky, shining brightly through the windows. The people were sweating profusely from the heat and humidity as if they had been working all day. There was one man in a business suit standing in the corner, shouting commands in some Spanish dialect. I assumed he was the boss. 

After a few of his shouting fits, he stormed out of the room and into a musty little office on the outside wall. Once he was out of the manufacturing room and into his office, all of the workers sighed with relief and wiped the beads of sweat dripping from their brow. Everyone seemed to stop working. Maybe there was a chance for me to get away. Maybe these people were going to help me. 

I tried to get up, but I could not move at all. My body was stiff and my hope soon started to dwindle. All I could wish for was that one of these strangers would decide to set me free.

A few motionless minutes later, the boss came storming out screaming and waving his hands in violent motions. Right then, everyone began working even more diligently than before. The sheer presence of this man struck fear into everyone, including me. 

He came over to the worker who was operating on me and made some commands that I could not understand. He started to examine me, surveying me from head to toe. His eyes were dark and piercing, and when he was inspecting me, I felt vulnerable. After his examination was complete, he patted his worker on the shoulder and mumbled a few words before starting to shout again.

I tried to move again, but I was still as stiff as before. All I could do was glance around nervously. My eyes glanced toward the end of the conveyor belt. There was a man stamping each lifeless body that reached him. When It was my turn, he turned me over with relative ease and put the cold stamp on my ass. 

Further on down the conveyor belt I fell down into a dark, damp box that soon got sealed shut. I had trouble breathing at first, due to the tight conditions; but I was soon able to adjust. Everything was so dark inside that I couldn’t even see what was directly in front of me. I could hear grunts and mumbles with me in the box. Some were crying, some were arguing, but no one would answer my cries for help.

 After what felt like an eternity, the box opened. Each of our still stiff bodies were pulled out, one by one.

I joined the others as I was hung by a hook. I tried to see the others out of my periphery, we were all helpless and afraid. As we hung there, more and more people came by and picked us out individually. Each person cried and screamed in agony when taken, uncertain of their fate. Soon there was only a few of us left.

A wealthy looking man in a suit came down the row of shelves and started examining us all individually to see which one he would prefer. He reminded me of the boss, except he was not nearly as intimidating. After contemplating for a few minutes, he pointed at me and slowly, took me down from the hook and placed me under his shoulder.

I was stuffed into a bag and thrown around. I couldn’t see a thing and I could barely breathe. I heard a lot of commotion going on outside and I was scared for my life.

When the bag was removed, I was on a table still unable to move. The man took out a long knife and stared down at me. He started to cut open a hole on my stomach, and started to work around inside. I was not sure what he was operating on, but I could not feel a thing. I could hear his hands and my insides squishing together. I fainted soon after from the nauseating sound of my insides being cut to pieces.

The next thing I knew, I was hanging and swinging from a rope attached to a blossoming tree.  The sun was out and there was loud music playing in the background. 

I was surrounded by bloodthirsty children, one of which was blindfolded and holding a long stick. The blind one started swinging and the kids went wild, screaming and shouting with glee. I still couldn’t feel anything, and I was very thankful for that. I was being torn to shreds. My insides were flying everywhere, and the kids became crazier. They dived at my insides and ate them like they were candy. I could not believe my eyes as my life slowly slipped away and the ravenous children chanted in unison, “PINATA! PINATA! PINATA!”